Man rescued from trench collapse

ROCK ISLAND -- Rock Island firefighters say their recent training session on trench rescues couldn't have come at a better time.

The Rock Island Fire Department trained for the rarely encountered emergency earlier this week. And the members suddenly had reason to use the training Friday afternoon, when a construction worker was trapped in a 10- to 12-foot-deep trench by a heavy piece of equipment that had fallen on him.

Rock Island Fire Department Battalion Chief Doug DuBree says the man was conscious and alert. He was taken to Trinity Hospital in Rock Island with back injuries. Authorities were not releasing the man's name and did not know the extent of his injuries.